Along with AMD’s launch of the Phenom II and Athlon II processor families this year, we’ve also witnessed a steady shift in focus from their AM2+/DDR2 platform to a full AM3/DDR3 platform. The good news is that these newer AM3 processors support both DDR2 and DDR3 memory, allowing consumers to upgrade without replacing their whole system. Still, that leaves many wondering if they’re missing out by not making the jump to DDR3 memory. To help answer that question, today Benchmark Reviews puts Gigabyte’s DDR2-based MA790X-UD4P motherboard to the test.
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MSI should be applauded for bringing Intel’s X58 chipset to the masses at a sub-£150 price point. Sure there are full-size motherboards that offer better performance and overclocking features, but for mainstream users building a MicroATX-based machine the X58M is fantastic value. The motherboard offers an almost perfect balance of features and performance, and would make a great choice for a high performance small form factor multimedia (HTPC) or gaming system. Zotac’s GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi impressed me a couple of months ago, but it is restricted to Intel’s legacy LGA775 socket and DDR2 memory. If you want a bleeding-edge MicroATX motherboard at an amazing price, the X58M is a no brainer.
Well it seems that not all rumors are true, in fact most are not and in the case of Foxconn leaving the motherboard business… well that was never the case.
The Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P was a motherboard that gave us no reason to complain about anything. We had no issues at all using the board. In fact, at the end of testing there was nothing that stood out negative about the board at all. Maybe some wishes, but we have those with every board we look at…
Today, we have a look at the Asus AM2+ motherboard, the M3A78-T, which is one of the higher-end motherboards from their AM2+ series. It comes with HD3300 onboard GPU which we overclocked to the limit… and beyond, running Crysis at 1280×1024 at 30fps! 
Jetway has contacted us to see if we would like to take their HZ01 and put it on our test bench. Always wanting to do business with a new company I would not turn them away. The HZ01 is based on the ATI 790GX boasting all the features we discussed earlier, but also some surprises as well. The first thing we saw that was unique about the HZ01 is that it utilized SO-DIMMs DDR2 vice standard 240 pin DIMM. Yes, you heard it right laptop ram. PC6400 of the 200-pin variation. Another Jetway feature is G.P.I. Just what does this mean? Well, you will have to read on.
The Intel DX58SO motherboard was just an awesome board to work with. It made the transition to Core i7 easy and enjoyable. We had absolutely no issues at all using the board. It met all expectations that one would have with an Intel board. As we looked at performance on this board it was very good, and it shows how much promise there is with the X58 express chipset and the Core i7 CPU. If you are looking for a power boost in performance, you will find it here…
ASUS has it tough. No question about it, everyone loves to hate the front runner. It’s hard to remember when they weren’t one of the top dogs, and in this business, it’s as hard to stay on top as it is to get there. For the last several years, like everyone else, they’ve been paying the bills by selling Intel-based systems. They kept faith with the AMD crowd however, and have consistently offered a full range of products to support the underdog in the CPU race. All that is paying off, now that the new Phenom II AM3 chips have hit the street, and enthusiasts are once again buying AMD CPUs in earnest.
What makes GIGABYTE so extreme you ask? Well, this is a company that has been fighting valiantly to prove they are the number one producer of enthusiast and budget based motherboards. Let’s recall a few of their latest achievements. For one, they have repeatedly produced the fastest motherboards for AMD helping many overclocking teams set new world records reaching 6+ GHz. Their Intel chipset platforms have also done very well becoming the choice among Intel enthusiasts. Finally, they are highly dedicated to their community of users.
The ECS A790GXM-AD3 motherboard was a board that was easy to set up and to work with. There was nothing that gave us any issues at all. It was smooth sailing throughout the review, which has been something that rarely happens any more. It seems there is always something that we have to struggle with, but not on this board. It is fast, a great gaming board, and has upgrade options for the end user. Also, overclocking is phenomenal…
